Stevens: Biopics should work as film without true story crutch

Biopics and historical films are easy to advertise. Throw on the “based on a true story” tagline and watch the audience fill up the theater.

It seems that every other movie today is a biopic and after every big new event everybody’s first thought is, “I can’t wait for the movie!”

This creates problems from both historical and movie-making points of view.

In historical context, we seem to pair the movie version of somebody’s life to their actual life as if they have equal cultural significance. It’s why we keep seeing Steve Jobs biopics; the guy was so great, we have to make another movie about him.

For the movie industry, the increase in quantity of biopics and historical pieces mean a decrease in quality. In most cases, the allure doubles as its downfall. The accuracy of a story adds a layer of intrigue, but when you remove that context, a lot of biopics and historical pieces are boring, mediocre movies.

Essentially, a lot of studios play it safe and use the fact that it is a true story as a crutch. Recent examples include the way-too-long, 2014 Frankie Valli biopic “Jersey Boys” and last year’s brilliantly acted but severely overrated “The Theory of Everything.” Both stories had interesting parts, but as a whole, their weak narratives were given passes because they could default back to, “But hey, it’s a real story!”

There are historical figures and stories that deserve to be told on the big screen, but the success of the good ones has brought a phony demand for too many.

There is a sense of renewed optimism for biopics this fall. Over the next month, four new true stories will hit the big screen. Here’s why they have a chance to work as movies and not just true stories.

“Black Mass”
The anti-hero has become a big draw for both TV shows and movies over the last ten years. Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne/Batman, James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano and Brian Cranston’s Walter White all managed to keep rooting interest on their side despite the imperfect and sometimes perverse nature of their characters. “Black Mass” will break the mold of boring biopic because it has a real life anti-hero in James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp), a Boston-Irish mob boss. Can you really root for a real-life version of one of those characters? If “Black Mass” can make you ask yourself that question, it will be a biopic worth your time.

“Pawn Sacrifice”
Ever seen a movie about a chess player before? Me neither. “Pawn Sacrifice” separates itself from other recent biopics because it focuses on a character, setting and a story that has yet to be put onto the silver screen. Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) is one of those historical figures that you’ve probably heard about a few times, but you don’t know his whole story. That’s the exact kind of person biopics should be made about; there’s a reason to tell his story and he’s not somebody you already know everything about.

“Everest”
Another good example of a story you probably have heard something about but there’s a lot to fill in. “Everest” recounts the 1996 disaster on top of the world’s tallest mountain. It’s somewhat surprising that this is the first major picture about one of the world’s most storied places. That only works in this film’s favor and the impending doom aspect is a big draw both from a story perspective and a visual one. “Everest” will be worth a watch as a movie first and a true story second. That should be the goal for all historical films.

“Steve Jobs”
Here is where it gets tricky. “Steve Jobs” should be one of the historical context problems. We know his story already and there has already been a biopic about the Apple founder. Why will this biopic be worth seeing? The answer is found in the trailer when Steve Wozniack (Seth Rogen) asks Jobs (Michael Fassbender), “You can’t write code. You are not an engineer. What do you do?” This simple question is essential in showing the audience that they still have questions about Jobs. There is still a reason to examine the enigma he was.

These new movies have the chance to be stories worth being told because they are great stories, not just because they are true. That should be the reason to make any biopic. Hopefully, the success and quality of these movies will change the overall quality of a genre packed with quantity.

Kyle Stevens is a sophomore advertising major. You can email him at ksteve03@syr.edu or reach him on Twitter at @kstevs_.